Secrets of the Dead » Psusennes Ihttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets
Unearthing HistoryTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:38:43 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1 Full Episodehttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-silver-pharaoh-watch-the-full-episode/706/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-silver-pharaoh-watch-the-full-episode/706/#commentsThu, 19 May 2011 15:32:16 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/?p=706The post Full Episode appeared first on Secrets of the Dead.
]]>The royal tomb of Pharaoh Psusennes I is one of the most spectacular of all the ancient Egyptian treasures – even more remarkable than that of Tutankhamun. So why hasn’t the world heard about it? What mysteries does it contain? And what does it reveal about ancient Egypt?

The tomb was discovered filled with lavish jewels and treasure almost by accident in 1939 by the French archaeologist Pierre Montet while he was in northern Egypt. The royal burial chamber came as a complete surprise – no Egyptologist had anticipated a tomb of such grandeur in this area. Unfortunately, the tomb was found on the eve of World War II in Europe and attracted little attention.

One of the most startling discoveries inside the tomb was the sarcophagus in which the body was held: It was made of silver with exquisite detail and craftsmanship. No other silver sarcophagus has ever been found and it is now recognized by many Egyptologists as one of the most exquisite artifacts of ancient Egypt ever to be found.

The elaborate tribute within the tomb suggested it was the burial site of someone very important. Using the hieroglyphs inside the tomb, they pieced together the identity of the pharaoh: his powerful role in ancient Egypt, and why he received such grand treatment.

The investigation reveals political intrigue, a lost city and a leader who united a country in turmoil and became the Silver Pharaoh.

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-silver-pharaoh-watch-the-full-episode/706/feed/29 Behind the Scenes Galleryhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-silver-pharaoh-image-gallery/682/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-silver-pharaoh-image-gallery/682/#commentsWed, 18 May 2011 17:50:59 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/?p=682The post Behind the Scenes Gallery appeared first on Secrets of the Dead.
]]>See archival images, stills from reenactments, and images of individuals featured in The Silver Pharaoh.

Swipe left or right to view gallery

Full Screen

Drama reconstruction of Pierre Montet and King FaroukCredit: Andy Webb

Drama reconstruction in Psusennes tombCredit: Andy Webb

Drama reconstruction of King Farouk viewing the cartouche in Psusennes tombCredit: Andy Webb

Drama reconstruction of King Farouk viewing the cartouche in Psusennes tombCredit: Andy Webb

Jon Privett, SilversmithJon is a metals conservator at Dean College. He demonstrates how the silver coffin would have been made. West Sussex, England. Credit: Andy Webb

Jon Privett at workJon is a metals conservator at Dean College. He demonstrates how the silver coffin would have been made. West Sussex, England. Credit: Andy Webb

Melissa DringMelissa Dring holds a degree in the Psychology of Facial Identification - and trained in forensic reconstruction with the FBI. She reconstructs Psusennes features for our documentary. Northampton, England. Credit: Andy Webb

Melissa Dring at workMelissa Dring holds a degree in the Psychology of Facial Identification - and trained in forensic reconstruction with the FBI. She reconstructs Psusennes features for our documentary. Northampton, England. Credit: Andy Webb

Dr. Fawzy Gaballah with Psussenes skeletonDr. Fawzy Gaballah, former head of anatomy at Cairo University, who re-opened the examination into Psussenes bones for the documentary. Cairo, Egypt. Credit: Andy Webb

Dr. Fawzy GaballahDr. Fawzy Gaballah, former head of anatomy at Cairo University,who re-opened the examination into Psussenes bones for the documentary. Cairo, Egypt. Credit: Andy Webb

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-silver-pharaoh-image-gallery/682/feed/13 Production Biographieshttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-silver-pharaoh-production-biographies/672/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-silver-pharaoh-production-biographies/672/#commentsWed, 18 May 2011 17:47:05 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/?p=672The post Production Biographies appeared first on Secrets of the Dead.
]]>Andy Webb: Director
Andy Webb, who lives in London, England, has directed many documentaries in locations around the world. He began his career as a journalist with BBC Television News, covering major news stories around the globe, but then switched to documentary film-making. His favorite topics are history related, and he earlier directed an episode of Secrets of the Dead dealing with the trial and execution of Michigan physician Hawley Crippen. This documentary on the Silver Pharaoh is his second project set in Egypt, following an earlier film on the death of Tutankhamun.

Sarah Sapper: Head of Production
Sarah Sapper is Blink’s Head of Production and has overall responsibility for all business affairs, financial matters, office management and Human Resources. She joined the team in November 08 and has already overseen two large co-productions with Five, Smithsonian, CanWest and Discovery. She has previously worked as Head of Production at Tiger Aspect’s factual department; and during her time there oversaw two series of Make Me a Supermodel for Five and which was sold as a format globally; as well as specialist factual projects for the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV. She has worked across all genres and was responsible for spearheading Tiger Aspect’s post production unit which specializes in tapeless post production. Before becoming a Head of Production, Sarah was a freelance line producer and worked predominately for Brook Lapping and Partridge Films.
Dan Chambers: Executive Producer, Blink Films
Since starting Blink with Justine Kershaw, Dan has Executive ProducedAncients Behaving Badly, True Stories, Chinese Food In Minutes; he’s overseen When Boris Met Dave and, along with Justine, Extraordinary Animals, The Lion Cub From Harrods, and The Great Sperm Race. Before forming Blink, Dan was Five’s Director of Programs from 2003 to 2006. From 2001 to 2003, he was Five’s Controller of Factual where he created the RTS award-winning history strand, Revealed, commissioned World War I in Color, Pompeii Live, Kings & Queens, and feature shows including Britain’s Worst Driver. As Director of Programs he was also responsible for Banged Up Abroad, The Gadget Show, Fifth Gear, and The Hotel Inspector. Dan graduated from Oxford University, and began his television career in 1991 as a researcher on current affairs shows including Panorama and Dispatches. He went on to direct films for Channel 4 science strand Equinox.

William R. Grant: Executive in Charge
William R. Grant is director of history, science and nature at WNET.ORG, parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW 21 in New York. He joined WNET in 1995 after 12 years at WGBH in Boston, where he was managing editor of Frontline and executive editor of Nova. At WGBH he also served as executive producer of Living Against the Odds and Made In America?

At WNET.ORG, Grant is in charge of one of a documentary production department which brings to national broadcast programs in the areas of natural history, science, history, business, travel, and other topics. While at WNET.ORG he has also been executive producer of Innovation and Going Places and numerous miniseries, including America on Wheels, Savage Skies, Savage Earth, Savage Seas, Knife to the Heart, Stephen Hawking’s Universe, On the Trail of Mark Twain, The American President, In Search of Ancient Ireland, The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, Slavery and the Making of America, African American Lives, The Supreme Court 1, Looking for Lincoln and the continuing series Secrets of the Dead. He has been responsible, as executive in charge of production, for Nature, one of public television’s most watched continuing series, and the miniseries Savage Planet, Secrets of the Pharaohs, Warship, Africa, 1900 House, Frontier House, Manor House, The Secret Life of the Brain, Colonial House, Texas Ranch House, Warplane, Ground War and the Human Spark.

Prior to joining WGBH in 1983, Grant was for 14 years a reporter and editor at two of the nation’s largest daily newspapers – the Detroit Free Press and the San Francisco Chronicle, where his work won numerous awards. In 1979-80 he was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. He was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2005 was named to the University of Kentucky’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

Programs produced under his supervision have won 13 national News and Documentary Emmy awards, including one for the 2005 series Slavery and the Making of America, and one for the 2004 series DNA, and six George Foster Peabody awards, including one for the 2002 series The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.

Jared Lipworth: Executive Producer
From 2007 to 2010 Jared Lipworth was director of science programs at WNET. In addition to Secrets of the Dead, he executive produced Ground War, Curious, The Human Spark, and The Mysterious Human Heart, which won a 2008 Emmy for Science, Technology, and Nature programming.

Prior to becoming executive producer and then director of science programs, Lipworth was the series producer for the department’s technology series, Innovation. He also served as series producer for Warrior Challenge, Secrets of the Pharaohs, the Emmy Award-winning Frontier House and The Secret Life of the Brain, Warship, Taxi Dreams, Echoes From the White House and Savage Planet. Additional credits at THIRTEEN include post-production producer for The American President and 1900 House and production assistant for Savage Seas, On The Trail of Mark Twain, The Great Balloon Race and Stories of Lupus.

He is currently the executive producer of science and nature at National Geographic Television.

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-silver-pharaoh-production-biographies/672/feed/2 Previewhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-silver-pharaoh-about-this-episode/669/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-silver-pharaoh-about-this-episode/669/#commentsWed, 18 May 2011 17:30:47 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/?p=669The post Preview appeared first on Secrets of the Dead.
]]>Tanis, Egypt, circa 1939. On the brink of World War II, an excavation team led by French archaeologist Pierre Montet unearthed an intact royal burial chamber containing treasures that rival the riches found in Tutankhamun’s tomb almost two decades before. But while the Tut discovery created an international sensation, the opening of the tomb in Tanis made barely a ripple in a world focused on impending war.

Now for the first time, we can examine this remarkable and long forgotten find. One of the most spectacular discoveries inside the crypt was the exquisite silver sarcophagus of Pharaoh Psusennes I, an, up till now, obscure ruler who governed Egypt more than 3000 years ago during one of its most difficult periods. As far as we know, this is the only time a pharaoh’s mummy was entombed in silver. The story of the sepulcher and of this virtually unknown pharaoh helps fill in some of the gaps in ancient Egypt’s history.

After Montet made his discovery, he raced to get his family back to Europe before the outbreak of war and the treasures he found were transported to Cairo for safe-keeping. There, they remained vaulted and unstudied, until now. In the season premiere of THIRTEEN’s Secrets of the Dead, a team of Egyptologists decodes hieroglyphic clues and pieces together forensic evidence left behind by Psusennes I, whose lost legacy could rewrite Egyptian history. Narrated by actor Liev Schreiber (Salt and X-Men Origins: Wolverine), The Silver Pharaoh airs nationally Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). The film traces the recorded history of the relics and offers forensic analysis of the noble necropolis to reveal political intrigue, a lost city and a great leader who united a country in turmoil and come to be entombed as the Silver Pharaoh.

Preview this episode:

“The Silver Pharaoh fills a missing link in Egyptian history,” says William R. Grant, THIRTEEN’s Director of Science, Natural History & Features Programs and series Executive Producer. “Equally compelling is the backstory of his discovery: that real-life drama unfolds like a thriller worthy of Hollywood plots. We’re excited to kick off new episodes of Secrets of the Dead with this archaeological adventure.”

The tomb of Psusennes I is being heralded by Egyptologists as one of the major artifacts of ancient Egypt. Montet discovered it almost by chance after his team excavated a raided tomb merely 10 yards away. The casket’s craftsmanship and riches inside the tomb suggested Psusennes was among the mightiest of kings. Yet, scholars knew little about his life and times. Now, recent research paints a portrait of a political mastermind.

Beyond the tomb’s precious possessions, it contains a wealth of archaeological evidence about Egypt’s enigmatic era known as the Third Intermediate Period. At that time, Egypt was a fractured kingdom divided between rival rulers of north and south. High priests seized power to command the southern region from Thebes while deposed pharaohs were exiled north to Tanis. Psusennes ruled from this province for an astounding 46 years. This was an impressive feat compared to Tutankhamun, whose reign lasted a decade. In fact, study of Psusennes’ skeleton showed a hardworking man who suffered a debilitating rheumatic disease but lived well into his eighties. His physical resilience contributed to his success as a great leader who eventually united Egypt.

Archaeologists were able to determine how Psusennes amassed his fortune and authority by decoding his cartouche, a royal seal stamped on the objects. The first clue was found on an ordinary silver dish. Marked on it was Psusennes’ signature along with a series of hieroglyphic inscriptions citing his titles. Surprisingly, he was not only a pharaoh but also a high priest. Additional investigation showed that he had his daughter marry his brother, a high priest in the south. In doing so, he cemented his family power and united the country. Furthermore, archeologists found another cartouche on his sarcophagus belonging to Merenptah, son of Rameses the Great. Merenptah died 150 years before Psusennes came into power. Research showed Psussenes was given Merenptah’s sarcophagus as a gift and had his signature added on it. This strategic act solidified his family’s association with historical greats for eternity.

Among the most extraordinary findings about Psusennes was his relocation of the metropolis of Pi-Ramesse to Tanis. Pi-Ramesse was the fabled riverside capital built by Rameses II. Its location had puzzled archaeologists for years until Montet discovered its ruins in Tanis. However, archaeologists began questioning Montet’s assumption since the river Nile often changed course. Using radar scans along a previously discounted delta settlement 12 miles from Tanis, they discovered the foundation of Rameses’ lost city. Historians knew that Pi-Ramesse became unlivable when the Nile became too silted at this location and around that same time, Psusennes took the throne ordering the city be moved stone by stone to Tanis. Only a king with matchless power and wealth could command such a colossal task.

The archaeological treasure trove found in Psusennes tomb provided a virtual window into an unstudied era in ancient Egypt’s past. The story of Psusennes offered a different version of his times. Instead of constant political upheaval, evidence showed a glorious era of supreme ruling. 3,000 years after the Silver Pharaoh’s death, we can finally fill in the gaps in Egyptian history and restore Psusennes legacy as one of the most powerful pharaohs.

THIRTEEN’s Secrets of the Dead: The Silver Pharaoh is a Blink Film production for THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG, FIVE, IRV Global Entertainment, and National Geographic Channel for PBS. Andy Webb is Director. Dan Chambers is Executive Producer for Blink Films. William R. Grant is Executive Producer of Secrets of the Dead.